1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water distribution systems and more particularly, to a horizontally-mounted submersible pump assembly for distributing water from a water supply or storage tank to a pressure tank and maintaining water pressure in the pressure tank at a desired level. The horizontally-mounted submersible pump assembly of this invention is characterized by a submersible down-hole or well pump which is mounted inside a tube extending into a water supply tank in horizontal orientation. The immersed end of the tube is attached to a gate or butterfly valve for admitting water into the tube and flooding the pump and the opposite end of the tube extends through the wall of the storage tank and is flanged to an adapter pipe which communicates with the pump discharge and a water line which extends to the pressure tank. The butterfly valve is operated by a long valve stem extending upwardly through the water in the storage tank and through the top of the storage tank and a valve handle terminates the valve stem to facilitate opening and closing of the butterfly valve from outside the storage tank. When the butterfly valve is open the submersible pump can be operated to pump water from the water storage tank through the tube and water line into the pressure tank. Pressure in the pressure tank can be maintained at a selected level and water can be delivered from the pressure tank on demand to end users by means of water distribution lines extending from the pressure tank. Maintenance or replacement of the submersible pump is achieved by closing the butterfly valve to prevent water from flowing into the tube, unflanging or disconnecting the pump from the tube, disconnecting the adapter pipe line and two additional flanges in the pressure line and removing the pump from the tube.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many water supply systems, and particularly systems which are designed for application to rural areas, are typically designed using a water supply tank, one or more centrifugal pumps with appropriate piping and a pressure tank on the downstream or discharging side of the centrifugal pumps. The centrifugal pumps operate to deliver water from the water supply tank to the pressure tank and maintain a desired pressure in the pressure tank in order to supply water from the pressure tank at a desired line pressure to the end user or users on demand. One of the problems inherent in this type of water supply system is that of economically obtaining and maintaining the desired pressure in the pressure tank when the demand for water is high. Centrifugal pumps do not usually rapidly respond to such an increase in demand and the water pressure in the pressure tank frequently drops below that which is necessary to supply a good flow of water to the end user.
It has surprisingly been found that a normally vertically-oriented, down-hole submersible pump, such as a turbine pump, can be mounted in a horizontal configuration inside a tube located in the water supply or storage tank to quickly, economically, efficiently and adequately pressure a pressure tank in order to supply multiple end users with water originating from a supply or storage tank. It has further been found that substantially any such submersible well pump can be used in the invention to obtain the desired pressure characteristics. Of this class of pumps, multi-stage turbine pumps have been found to be particularly well suited to this application. It has also been found desirable to mount the submersible pump inside a tube provided in the tank and to control the flow of water into the tube by using a valve mounted on the submerged end of the tube in order to facilitate maintenance on the pump without the requirement of draining the tank.
Submersible pumps such as multi-stage turbine pumps as well known in the art for a variety of applications. One of the most popular applications for this type of pump is pumping water from water wells wherein the pump is suspended by means of a water pipe or line at a desired depth which corresponds to a water-producing sand. The pump is operable to pump water vertically upwardly from the sand through the pipe to an end user. Other applications include pumping water from underground aquifers through agricultural irrigation systems and also to water tanks for later distribution by gravity feed. Still other submersible pumps are used to pump fluids other than water in such applications as fuel recovery systems which are typified by the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,883, dated Apr. 15, 1980, to Edward A. Mayer. The Mayer patent disclosed a submersible pump immersed in a reservoir for pumping gasoline to a gasoline pump and from the gasoline pump to the tank of a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,290, dated Sept. 18, 1973, to A. R. D'Alba, discloses a "Windshield Washer System Having Submerged Air Driven Pump". The pump disclosed in this patent is designed to pump solvent and includes a rotary assembly characterized by a pump impeller and a turbine wheel secured at opposite ends of a shaft. The shaft is journalled in a bearing disposed between the impeller and the turbine wheel and the assembly is mounted within a cylindrical housing. A source of compressed air is applied to opposite sides of the turbine wheel to power the pump and exits an exhaust port provided in the turbine wheel chamber.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved horizontally-mounted submersible pump assembly which is designed to locate in a water storage tank and operates to deliver water from the tank at a desired pressure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved submersible pump assembly which includes a horizontally-mounted, down-hole submersible pump inserted in a tube located in a water supply tank for pumping water from the tube and the water supply tank to a pressure tank in order to supply water at selected pressure to end users.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a submersible pump assembly which is characterized by a submersible, down-hole pump which is inserted in a tube horizontally extending into a water supply tank, the submerged end of which tube is connected to a valve in order to facilitate selective water flow into the tube for contact with the pump, wherein the pump is operable to pump water from the tube into a pressure tank and to maintain the pressure in the pressure tank at a desired level for distributing water to end users on demand.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a submersible pump assembly for water distribution systems, which assembly is characterized by a down-hole, submersible well pump situated in a horizontally oriented tube extending through the wall of a water tank, wherein the submerged end of the tube is attached to a gate or butterfly valve to facilitate flow of water into the tube for flooding the pump and the opposite end of the tube which extends through the wall of the water tank is connected to an adapter flange. The adapter flange carries an adapter pipe which joins the pump discharge to a water line extending to a pressure tank, wherein the pump can be operated to pump water from the water tank through the tube, the adapter pipe and the pressure line into the pressure tank and maintain the water in the pressure tank at a selected pressure for distribution to end users on demand.